Post by Amy on Nov 24, 2018 1:59:02 GMT 9

Yesterday, as part of her ml homework, my eldest chose a book she had struggled with only 2 months ago. Without apprehension she read it effortlessly. I was so pleased and reminded her of how she had once struggled and how she can now read it easily. She was pleased. But then she tried to resist doing her writing homework (1 sentence every day). She eventually did. I tried to explain to her that Mummy insisted on writing a sentence a day, because she had learned to read by reading a little every day and we were now doing the same with writing. She didn't seem too interested.

Later on, my eldest told me her classmates knew she spoke English and that they say she was not with pupils of the international division because there had been no spot left for her. It sounded as though she is identified as one of the bilingual community though had been unlucky with the spot. She is perfectly fine with it, which is what matters to me. As always, I just feel a little sad she is not able to be with them.

I told her the applications to the international division will open shortly and that if she's still up for it I'll apply for her. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she nodded shyly. I just warned her that there was an entry test and though reading is not an issue for her (to which she made me laugh high-fiving me ) and we'll just continue to read daily, she'll have to learn to write. I told her that this was why Mummy insisted on writing a sentence a day. The penny seemed to drop but time will tell.

This morning, my youngest made me smile as I heard her violently fending off her sister, shouting "I want to do it by myself!!" at the top of her voice. Poor eldest sister but so impressed by the lil one's perfect ml2 rebuke.

I have been struggling with resuming our habits. Losing my voice didn't help. Thankfully I could rely on audiobooks whilst I turned over the pages of the book!

I recently received the magnetic map of the UK & Ireland www.amazon.co.uk/Janod-J05484-Magnetic-Britain-Ireland/dp/B017E8P4JW which I ordered after the huge hit of the Spanish version. This puzzle is harder but my eldest wasn't put off and loved it. We did it together and I discussed about my time there, places I'd been, local folklore and stories. She seemed interested and we had a pleasant time together.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Adam Beck on Nov 24, 2018 6:42:00 GMT 9

Amy, I can empathize with the resistance children will sometimes pose to our efforts (my daughter was a little rebel, too), but our playful persistence will always be a more powerful force over the longer span of this journey.

You and your girls continue to make winning progress, in all three languages, and I continue to cheer on your family from afar.

Adam Beck is the founder of Bilingual Monkeys and The Bilingual Zoo, and the author of the popular book Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability amzn.to/22XKuCt and the humorous novel How I Lost My Ear amzn.to/2EsjVRS, both available worldwide. Please support The Bilingual Zoo through Adam's Patreon page www.patreon.com/bilingualmonkeys.

Post by Mayken on Nov 25, 2018 20:07:04 GMT 9

Later on, my eldest told me her classmates knew she spoke English and that they say she was not with pupils of the international division because there had been no spot left for her. It sounded as though she is identified as one of the bilingual community though had been unlucky with the spot. She is perfectly fine with it, which is what matters to me. As always, I just feel a little sad she is not able to be with them.

That's good that her classmate see it that way and that no one has said "You didn't get in because your English isn't good enough" or something like that.

This morning, my youngest made me smile as I heard her violently fending off her sister, shouting "I want to do it by myself!!" at the top of her voice. Poor eldest sister but so impressed by the lil one's perfect ml2 rebuke.

I recently received the magnetic map of the UK & Ireland www.amazon.co.uk/Janod-J05484-Magnetic-Britain-Ireland/dp/B017E8P4JW which I ordered after the huge hit of the Spanish version. This puzzle is harder but my eldest wasn't put off and loved it. We did it together and I discussed about my time there, places I'd been, local folklore and stories. She seemed interested and we had a pleasant time together.

I borrowed that idea from you and ordered a puzzle of Germany for my daughter.It's just a regular puzzle, but the magnet etc. options I found weren't really nice, so I went for the map. It's double-sided, one geographic and one political. That way we'll be able to go through the different states of Germany, and he'll see why her different penpals and cousins don't have school holidays at the same time.

Post by Amy on Nov 26, 2018 6:31:58 GMT 9

That's good that her classmate see it that way and that no one has said "You didn't get in because your English isn't good enough" or something like that.

All fingers crossed that she'll pass the entry test!

I know what you mean! That's exactly what I thought!

I borrowed that idea from you and ordered a puzzle of Germany for my daughter.It's just a regular puzzle, but the magnet etc. options I found weren't really nice, so I went for the map. It's double-sided, one geographic and one political. That way we'll be able to go through the different states of Germany, and he'll see why her different penpals and cousins don't have school holidays at the same time.

So glad it could inspire you Mayken! If it can be of interest, I found a wonderful ml1 atlas of Spain at my local ML library that is for kids around 8-10. I found it beautiful and felt sorry my eldest is still too young to be interested in it. But, I would strongly recommend looking for something similar in your ml. It is also nice to combine the puzzle with the book, to focus on one region for instance. I tried doing that with my eldest, and reading about her dad's ml1 region. I could tell her curiosity was there but did not last long as the book is not really for her age yet.

Marta , if it could also be of interest to you, the book is called Pupi atlas de España (I thought of you because when I looked it up, somehow Google first listed it on amazon.de ).

I hope you got your voice back, Amy!

Thank you Mayken! I did, but over the years it has become very fragile (which might seem odd as I have a very loud voice, lol) and when I suffer a voice loss it takes a while to steady itself again. I pushed it too much tonight (I read about 5 books! lol) and eventually had to give up as it was starting to go husky again. But I found a nice alternative (it forced me to think out of the box! lol): I quizzed my eldest on her Dolch sight words which I hadn't done in ages. It was great and I realised how much her reading had grown strong. She is now confident with like 97% of her sight words for Year 2. So I'm going to prepare flashcards for Year 3 words.

I had a chat with my eldest tonight and she said she really enjoyed reading now. I noticed she reads on her own a lot around home, and tries to read labels and text around the house. She even tried to read the couple of ML books we have at home (***sigh*** ) and even some ml1. It is so thrilling to see.

The writing homework did not go so well unfortunately. She is so stubborn and resistant at times. I got cross and gave up. I have to back off and think of another strategy. Back to basics, I must get back down to reading the writing games book I got.

Today was so cute, my little one went off to her bedroom on her own just after lunch time. I peeked in found her in her bed with a huge stack of books next to her, following the text with her little chubby finger, pointing at pictures... She stayed like this about 2 hours (!!) by which time I found her fast asleep. Bless her!

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Raquel on Nov 26, 2018 20:10:19 GMT 9

I was laughing reading your update, Amy. How your little one fell asleep trying to read all those books...they'll do anything their older siblings do! And the older ones will do what we do, so that's something to think about... On that note, I asked Santa for a few paper books, so that my children can see me read.

It was also funny to see your reaction to your eldest trying to read in the ML as well as in both mls. I can just picture her going around looking for something -anything!- to read. Lucky you! A friend of mine once told me that we sometimes forget we want our children bi-lingual, that our aim isn't for them to be monolingual in the ml. I have to remind myself every now and then.

I like the magnetic map. Great idea, Amy! I'll have to keep it in mind for the future (our list to Santa and the 3 Wise Men is finished).

Good luck on the writing. Are you asking her to write something you say, or is she copying some text? I wouldn't know how to tackle this, but maybe copying first would be a nice transition.

Post by Mayken on Nov 26, 2018 23:51:21 GMT 9

Amy, I feel with you about your voice. I have a loud voice too and have had trouble since I was operated on my vocal chords about 20 years ago. Now I lose my voice very easily and especially when I already have a cold.

Thanks for the atlas idea. We have a book or two on our ml country, but when we're there for Christmas, I'll check bookstores (and ask, if I have to) for an atlas specifically. Our local ml bookstore here has a minuscule kids book section, and while I do order my ml books there to support the bookstore, the owner isn't a specialist on kids books.

Your little one falling asleep with her stack of books is so cute! (Did you take a picture? I probably would have.)

As for your older one's writing, how about something along my writing homework where you give her a (possibly funny) question and let her write the answer?

Post by Nellie on Nov 27, 2018 5:29:14 GMT 9

Your eldest seems to be doing so well with her reading, Amy! The other day, my husband and I attended a presentation at a school we are looking at for our daughter. They really insisted on how hard it is to learn to read English compared to French (I forget the exact number but it was about 10 times more combinations of sounds that needed to be learnt - something like 200 for French and 2000 for English!). They also pointed out that unless you have already heard a word orally in English, it is impossible to know how it was pronounced. Which I had never thought of before and is so true!

Post by Amy on Nov 27, 2018 6:14:24 GMT 9

I was laughing reading your update, Amy. How your little one fell asleep trying to read all those books...they'll do anything their older siblings do! And the older ones will do what we do, so that's something to think about... On that note, I asked Santa for a few paper books, so that my children can see me read.

Definitely! I need to find more time for my kids to see me reading. But I only really enjoy reading when I am absolutely alone or in absolute silence....which is near impossible with the girls around!! lol

It was also funny to see your reaction to your eldest trying to read in the ML as well as in both mls. I can just picture her going around looking for something -anything!- to read. Lucky you! A friend of mine once told me that we sometimes forget we want our children bi-lingual, that our aim isn't for them to be monolingual in the ml. I have to remind myself every now and then.

I often think of your friend's comment and had the same feeling as my heart sank at the sight of the ML book lying on my daughter's desk. Today, she read aloud one of the ML children's books lying about at her sister's childminder's place. It was the first time I really heard her read an adequate book she was not familiar with. She does read well in ML too and stunned the childminder too. (Another proud bilingual moment here. )

Good luck on the writing. Are you asking her to write something you say, or is she copying some text? I wouldn't know how to tackle this, but maybe copying first would be a nice transition.

Thank you, Raquel. I usually make up a simple sentence with her, or pick a simple sentence from one of her books. I let her copy the first few times but since I noticed she is very capable of working it out for herself, I have stopped the copying and dictate 1 short sentence instead.

On Sunday, I suggested a few sentences for a letter to Santa but we did not get past "Dear Santa, my name is ###..."

I haven't had time to think about it. I feel a bit overwhelmed by everything and I'm struggling to keep up. For the moment, we keep reading every day, which is my priority since reading is the basis for writing and my daughter has a rather photographic memory. But I do need to pull myself together and think.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Amy on Nov 27, 2018 6:20:10 GMT 9

Hi Mayken,

I think being voiceless is already unpleasant, but even more so when you are bilingual: what is the point of having multilingual skills if you can't use them (especially to rear your kid bilingual!!?)...

Your little one falling asleep with her stack of books is so cute! (Did you take a picture? I probably would have.)

As for your older one's writing, how about something along my writing homework where you give her a (possibly funny) question and let her write the answer?

I wish I had! She looked so sweet it made my heart melt. Such a lil cuddly bear.

Yes, the funny questions could be a good one! Thank you for the idea! I need to come up with one for tomorrow and see if I can get my daughter to write the answer. Maybe something silly like "What would you do if you found a croc under your bed?". Cheers Mayken!! So nice to be able to find inspiration among fellow keepers when I feel completely unimaginative at the moment.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Amy on Nov 27, 2018 6:28:16 GMT 9

Your eldest seems to be doing so well with her reading, Amy! The other day, my husband and I attended a presentation at a school we are looking at for our daughter. They really insisted on how hard it is to learn to read English compared to French (I forget the exact number but it was about 10 times more combinations of sounds that needed to be learnt - something like 200 for French and 2000 for English!).

Hi Nellie,

Thank you for sharing this information with me, it is really amazing!! So far, I don't regret my decision to have got my eldest reading in English before her other languages. Time will tell if this was the right thing to do but so far I'm pleased. We're meeting my daughter's teacher in 2 weeks to find out how she's been doing this term. I'm curious to hear about her reading skills from a professional's perspective.

What I have found really interesting when teaching phonics and reading, is observing some remnants of Old French (or at least that's my interpretation of it) in English. For instance the "ai" when pronounced the same as in French, or "au" as in "daughter" that is pronounced like an "o" which is also common to French. Funny how much we share in our languages.

They also pointed out that unless you have already heard a word orally in English, it is impossible to know how it was pronounced. Which I had never thought of before and is so true!

To be honest, that has confirmed my personal intuition. Sometimes, ML people ask me to explain things in English including pronunciation. Having learnt English by total immersion, I just know what feels right or wrong and can't explain the logic behind it. And more than once, I have had a doubt about a pronunciation and thought "well that's how I've always heard it said".

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Raquel on Nov 27, 2018 18:03:34 GMT 9

I feel a bit overwhelmed by everything and I'm struggling to keep up. For the moment, we keep reading every day, which is my priority since reading is the basis for writing and my daughter has a rather photographic memory. But I do need to pull myself together and think.

This being the case, I think you just need to allow yourself some time to think. You don't need to do anything today. As you always say, this a trial-error game, so just give it some thought when you can, come up with something and try it. If it doesn't work, then put your thinking cap on and keep at it. I've had lots of those moments with teaching my daughter to read and a million other things. It took me over 6 months to choose how to go about it - yes, I was that afraid!

As far as English pronunciation and spelling goes, all I can say is reading with my daughter has helped me with pronunciation. I never knew all these rules; just learned every single word: pronunciation and spelling, all at the same time. But I can see why it would be a nightmare for a child. Why doesn't the U in "push" sound like the one in "but"? If "ai" sounds like in "maid", then what about "said"? Sometimes when my daughter is reading I can't believe it when she pronounces a word right even though it doesn't follow the rules she's learned. It's all very confusing!

Post by Amy on Dec 10, 2018 6:00:33 GMT 9

My little one’s ml skills are blooming really well. She makes full blown sentences and most of them are perfect. She sounds like an older child. We are a bit surprised as her elder sister did not speak that well in general at the same age, let alone in the mls. It’s delightful to hear her chat away. Yesterday she made me laugh. My eldest has been listening to “The First Noel” in a loop on her music player and singing along. The little tattletale came running to me to say her big sister was singing in ML. The eldest had not realised that Noel was actually a ML word as the singer says it with a thick American accent, and she thought it was a word in a foreign language.

Yesterday, I got to meet my eldest daughter’s teacher. I was delighted to hear her ml reading was not interfering with her ML reading. The teacher confirmed my daughter now reads in ML. However, she feels that over lunch break my daughter was “not allowing” herself to select ML books to read from their class's bookshelf and that it could not be good for her ML reading skills in the long run. I had a word with my daughter when I got home to let her know that it was all right for her to read in the ML at school and that she shouldn’t feel like I was against her doing so. I might also occasionally slip in a ML book for her study time, so she might work on her reading at school.

I asked the teacher about my daughter’s attitude towards ml2 lessons and she said she was delighted with them and participated actively. She also reminds her teacher daily to update the ml2 weekday chart that happens to be on the wall right next to her desk. It was nice to hear, as it means she is accepting her ml2 positively. The teacher was also stunned to hear my daughter was handling 3 languages, as she had not realised my daughter was half-Spanish. She seemed very positive and impressed with out bilingual journey, which was reassuring.

I told her about my daughter wanting to join the international division. Her initial reaction was like “Wow! This is a very high level” (referring to the entry test). I asked her about when they would start to learn ML writing (since the entry test requires ml2 writing) and she told me they won’t start till January (and that is only “beginning”). She saw I am not super enthusiastic about my daughter sitting the test and asked me if there was any need for it since she gets bilingual education at home. She is right, there is no real need for it, the only good thing out of it is in the very long run the possibility to get a baccalaureate that will recognise her bilingual skills. But that is so far away…

Today, my eldest did not feel like writing (we have fallen out of the routine over the last 4 days), and when I asked her to pick just 2 sentences of her choice, she found nothing better than asking me to dictate a whole picture book (Where Is Bear? by Johnathan Bentley) to her!! Lol. Needless to say I stopped after a few pages (though she did impress me). She baffles me.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Undraa on Dec 10, 2018 17:19:23 GMT 9

Congratulations on your younger daughter's milestone! It feels amazing to hear their sweet little voices coming through when they start chatting in ml.

I keep being amazed with your ability to discipline your children. They are able to follow your instructions so well. I know it is easier said than done, but your structured approach is something I need to learn.

Post by Nellie on Dec 11, 2018 4:21:36 GMT 9

Just to clarify - your daughter is in CP, right? I'm trying to understand about the ml2 writing test. Do they expect children to start in the international division already reading and writing? Or are they expected to be able to do so going into CE1? When do the children currently in the international division start to learn to read and write?

Post by Amy on Dec 11, 2018 6:52:57 GMT 9

But I'm afraid the success feels a bit bitter in the sense that it has regularly been a battle and my daughter probably ends up doing it as she does not want to get on the wrong side of me. So it feels more like coercion than educational success. And let's face it, I might have let go one evening here and there since the beginning of the routine. So it's not all as perfect as it might seem from your computer screen!

Just to clarify - your daughter is in CP, right? I'm trying to understand about the ml2 writing test. Do they expect children to start in the international division already reading and writing? Or are they expected to be able to do so going into CE1? When do the children currently in the international division start to learn to read and write?

Yes, my daughter is in Year 2 (CP). You can't join the division during the year, so we would be applying for the next school year: that's Year 3 (CE1). From what I read on their website, the entry test for Year 3 is reading a short text and writing about it. Problem is, in the ML curriculum they won't start learning to write until January for a test in Spring! I think that they might expect international division Year 3 kids to already know how to write because in the British system they might have begun earlier than we do here in France.

As always, a special thought for Adam Beck , Bilingual Monkeys, and this amazing forum with you amazing fellow keepers that helped us through and still do!

I loved seeing your interview, Amy! And I feel so glad, and grateful, that I can be a source of support for your family, and other families out there in the world, on this marvelous (sometimes maddening ) journey.

Adam Beck is the founder of Bilingual Monkeys and The Bilingual Zoo, and the author of the popular book Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability amzn.to/22XKuCt and the humorous novel How I Lost My Ear amzn.to/2EsjVRS, both available worldwide. Please support The Bilingual Zoo through Adam's Patreon page www.patreon.com/bilingualmonkeys.

Post by Tatyana L on Dec 11, 2018 9:05:28 GMT 9

A writing test for 6 year olds? What sort of writing are they looking at? In the first year of school (at 5) my kids learned to write a single sentence like “I like _____”. In the second year of school they write very simple sentences like “I see a dog” and even then they use approximate spelling (for example : ones a pon a time)

Would a penpal help your oldest? My little girl is 6 with English as ML and Spanish as ml2. They could send simple notes back and forth. That way there would be a purpose to the writing.

Post by Raquel on Dec 11, 2018 20:04:12 GMT 9

Amy, that's fantastic about your little one. They grow so fast!! My son also speaks way better than my daughter at his age, so I'm wondering whether it's a younger sibling thing or just that they're different in this regard as well. Anyway, it's so good when you can communicate fully with them!

I envy you your eldest's teacher. Can I have her, pretty please? My daughter's teacher seems to be against anything English and, even though I tried to keep her in the loop of what we do at home, she disregards it as "that thing we do that has nothing to do with her". We started on the wrong foot when we had that first meeting and she suggested one of us start speaking in the ML to our daughter, which we politely declined. Everyone had been super supportive, teachers and other parents, up until that point. Other than that, she's a fantastic teacher, but I hate that she's against everything we're doing for my daughter's better education, this teacher's field of expertise. Sorry for the rant!! Anyway, I'm so glad your eldest's teacher is this supportive and that her ml2 reading isn't getting in the way of her ML reading. I've always read they actually help each other, as it's the same -blending- done with different sounds. Congrats to your eldest as well on doing so well in class.

Thanks for the link to your interview. You look different in those pictures!! I guess beach clothes change the way one looks, lol. I loved seeing you again and reading your story once more; so inspiring!!

Post by Amy on Dec 12, 2018 6:26:25 GMT 9

A writing test for 6 year olds? What sort of writing are they looking at? In the first year of school (at 5) my kids learned to write a single sentence like “I like _____”. In the second year of school they write very simple sentences like “I see a dog” and even then they use approximate spelling (for example : ones a pon a time)

Would a penpal help your oldest? My little girl is 6 with English as ML and Spanish as ml2. They could send simple notes back and forth. That way there would be a purpose to the writing.

I expect the writing test would be something of the like: a couple of sentences or so on what she read.

You are lucky your kids could write "I like..." at age 5. In France, they don't start writing until 6. See my problem? The anglo-saxon education is ahead of the French one...which does not make my task any easier.

Thank you for the lovely offer Tatyana, but my daughter is nowhere near it. I already offered her to write to Raquel daughter whom she met and played with last summer and it was not successful either.

The only thing that I know will really work with her is games, games, games. So tonight, I decided to play hangman. She surprised me, especially guessing "orange" having just got the vowels to guess from! I think I'll have to invent more playful stuff (think out of the box again!) such as writing on her whiteboard or playing Pass the Word or writing with magnetic letters.

She clearly is picking up spelling from reading so much. In the evening, she now loves reading in her bed instead of listening to my bedtime story! She even reads to her little sister.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Post by Amy on Dec 12, 2018 6:36:44 GMT 9

Amy, that's fantastic about your little one. They grow so fast!! My son also speaks way better than my daughter at his age, so I'm wondering whether it's a younger sibling thing or just that they're different in this regard as well. Anyway, it's so good when you can communicate fully with them!

I think being a younger sibling is definitely ONE of the factors.

I envy you your eldest's teacher. Can I have her, pretty please? My daughter's teacher seems to be against anything English and, even though I tried to keep her in the loop of what we do at home, she disregards it as "that thing we do that has nothing to do with her". We started on the wrong foot when we had that first meeting and she suggested one of us started speaking in the ML to our daughter, which we politely declined. Everyone had been super suportive, teachers and other parents, up until that point. Other than that, she's a fantastic teacher, but I hate that she's against everything we're doing for my daughter's better education, this teacher's field of expertise. Sorry for the rant!! Anyway, I'm so glad your eldest's teacher is this supportive and that her ml2 reading isn't getting in the way of her ML reading. I've always read they actually help each other, as it's the same -blending-, done with different sounds. Congrats to your eldest as well on doing so well in class.

Given we have international divisions in the local school, the teachers (and this one in particular given she has 5 of these kids in her class) tend to be very open-minded on bilingualism. Something I really didn't expect. I was apprehensive as to telling her about our choice of education, as I had been with the 2 nursery school teachers before that, but they were all great.

Don't worry about the rant, I can heartily understand it. Unfortunately as bilingual families, we are bound to meet those kind of people at one time or another. Look at me and that paediatrician who told me to stop talking in ml2 to my eldest...

You are right about reading in one language supporting the reading in the other. That is what I read, observed with my daughter and have felt myself. But as she is just beginning to read, I worried she might get confused. Fortunately it does not seem to be the case.

Thanks for the link to your interview. You look different in those pictures!! I guess beach clothes change the way one looks, lol. I loved seeing you again and reading your story once more; so inspiring!!

Tell me about it! lol Beach clothes vs city clothes: at least I don't have sand in between my toes!! lol My husband has no feel for photography. I had to do a selfie because he just couldn't take a decent headshot! lol

I'm delighted our story can still be inspiring. We all need inspiration from one another to keep going on this tough journey.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

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Amy: Cute code switching this morning when my 3 year old told me "I get my pótamo" (she meant her hippo soft toy). This mixing was music to my ears... It means she is truly growing trilingual. Apr 6, 2019 2:51:35 GMT 9*

Adam Beck: Lovely, Amy! Good for you, and good for her! P.S. I like hippos.Apr 7, 2019 10:32:37 GMT 9

Alba: So funny, Amy! Great to hear I love the word Hypo, every child says it different! My son did something similar when he say "This tocotó", he calls horses "tocotó" based on the noise they made when trotting (tocotó, iiii (neigh)-ok, for a Spanish ear) Apr 8, 2019 6:52:09 GMT 9

Amy: Cheer Alba and Adam Beck! . I love these "baby" words. They are so cute. I like the "This tocotó" another example of state of the art Spanglish <3Apr 9, 2019 4:54:05 GMT 9

Mayken: Got home from a short trip to Zürich - heard German, French & Italian on the train, and both German and French in the tram. And everyone speaks English too. It was nice to be able to choose which of my languages I wanted to speak!May 6, 2019 23:07:42 GMT 9

Mayken: It is, Amy . I didn't realise how much I had missed it.May 7, 2019 23:10:43 GMT 9

Amy: Last year, a new colleague joined my team. She's trilingual in the same languages as me. It was like magic. We change languages and even code-switch several time a day. I had missed that so much!! My monolingual colleagues must think we're freaks! lolMay 8, 2019 4:56:12 GMT 9

Amy: Unfortunately, she has resigned and is leaving shortly. I was so proud to introduce her to my eldest, one day that I had brought her to show her round my office. And to introduce other bi/multilingual colleagues. Show how important languages are.May 8, 2019 4:58:26 GMT 9

Mayken: That must have been wonderful, Amy! I'm sorry she is leaving. I would love to find someone like that. We had an English intern last year who spoke German and French. We chatted a lot.May 8, 2019 6:06:01 GMT 9

Caro C.: Oh Amy I sort of feel related to what you are saying. Some months ago I made a friend from the US. She happens to be a neighbor with four kids. We’ve been sharing back and forth and I’d love my baby girl to eventually be able to share with her childrenMay 13, 2019 12:55:09 GMT 9

Caro C.: Although maybe they will be a bit old for her, still we (I mean their mom = Sarah and me) both are very happy and grateful for each other as friends.May 13, 2019 12:57:05 GMT 9*

Mayken: As of yesterday, I am aunt to a baby girl who lives in our ml country with 2 ml parents, and I'm already planning to get them a nice nursery rhymes CD for our first visit. May 16, 2019 20:03:47 GMT 9*

Caro C.: OMG I just came across this song and it filled my heart with joy and excitement...perfect for all of us who are parents: youtu.be/g1fcnhB8GOYMay 19, 2019 14:01:55 GMT 9*

Adam Beck: Caro, thanks for sharing that lovely song. Raffi was one of our very favorite musicians when my kids were small. We listened to him all the time. I highly recommend his albums as a source of very enjoyable and very effective English input. May 20, 2019 15:32:26 GMT 9

Mayken: My daughter is on a field trip this week and I feel like I've lost my main purpose May 20, 2019 20:03:33 GMT 9*